An Extracurricular Club
by proclone
Summary: Sarah Manning is the new girl at school but after befriending members of the 'Clone Club' she realises most of her peers have seen her face before.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Sarah

Sarah stared into the face of a girl who mirrored her completely. She was of medium height, possessed a slim build, and had dark brown hair and muddy green eyes. Her nose, teeth, arms and legs were identical to Sarah's. She was the same down to every last detail.

"Hello," she smiled brightly. Sarah wondered if the girl had even noticed their exact similarity or if she was just choosing to ignore it. "I'm Beth Childs and I'll be showing you around Pearson High. You're Sarah, right?"

She just stared blankly at Beth. Was she a relative? A long lost twin, perhaps. It was possible; Sarah had never met her biological family.

Beth's smile became more of a grimace. "I hate this part." she muttered.

"What 'part'?" Sarah asked trying to avoid Beth's gaze. She looked idly around the empty corridor. Brightly coloured lockers lined the white walls.

Beth sighed. "The part where you ask questions that I don't have answers for. Cosima is much better at explaining this than I am. But she got assigned to a new exchange student. I hear she's from France."

"Better at explaining what?" Sarah was beyond confused.

"Can I just show you to your first class and do this another time?"

"Beth?" a girl poked her head out of a classroom along the hallway. She too, looked just like Sarah. "Miss Marks wants to know how long you're going to take. She wants to start-" she eyed Sarah and her face became stony.

"Bloody hell." Sarah muttered. Two look-alikes? That was a little more than odd.

"Tell Miss I'll be two secs, Alison."

Ignoring her, the girl named Alison whispered; "Another one?"

Beth nodded almost solemnly.

She hissed before returning to class; "Good grief, that makes seven. This is getting out of control."

"What was she talking about?" Sarah asked. "Seven what?"

"Seven of us." said Beth. "Now, your first class is English in B block, room 23. I'll take you there now and give you the rest of the tour at recess. At lunch you can meet the club and we'll answer your questions as best we can. Sound good?"

"Not really. Are we related?"

Chuckling a little Beth headed for B block, Sarah reluctantly in tow. "No. Not as far as I know. You from England?"

"Yes. Brixton."

"I knew I heard an accent. So what brings you here?"

Sarah shrugged. "My foster mum wanted a sea change I guess."

She could see that Beth didn't want to pry from the sheepish look in her eye but she seemed curious for some reason. "Is it just you and your mom?" she asked.

"Foster mum," Sarah corrected, "and no, I have a brother. He's in year ten."

"At this school?"

"Yeah."

Beth stopped in front of a classroom. 'Room 23', it read on the wooden door. "Well, here's your class. I'll see you at recess, okay? We'll meet where we did just then."

"Yeah." Sarah said, having no actual intention to meet Beth again.

"See ya." she waved before turning to leave.

Sarah was tempted to cut class and hop on the next flight to England. Instead, she opened door and walked into class. After an awkward introduction to her new classmates, time ticked by at a painful pace. When the bell rang signalling recess, Sarah bolted out of class to find her brother. Not knowing her way around the huge campus, Sarah decided to call him.

"Hello?" Felix answered.

"Where are you, we need to talk."

"I'm in D block. I'll meet you in the cafeteria." he said.

Sarah sighed. "And where's that?"

"Next to the big gym. Weren't you listening to your guide? Mine was a real cutie. Said he'd been-"

"Fee, we'll discuss this later, yeah? Meet me in the caff, pronto."

"Yeah, whatever." he said before hanging up.

Sarah began to push her way through the herds of students hustling either to their lockers or to the lunch room. It was a large school with thousands of students, much bigger than the one she attended in Brixton. It was a sharp looking place that gave off a cold vibe. Sarah didn't really like it too much; the high windows and ceilings made her feel exposed and its faint smell of sanitizer reminded her of a hospital. Guessing her way through the endless hallways she finally reached the big blue doors of the cafeteria.

The lunchroom was in pandemonium. It looked more like a small warehouse than a school eating destination. Rows of tables occupied by restless students gossiping about their summer break filled most of the cramped space. The end of the room held the canteen area where rowdy teens waited with silver trays in hand for their food. Sarah was unsure if she could find her brother amongst all the chaos. She did, however, spot her look-a-like by the name of Alison sitting impatiently at a lunch table off to the right and talking to a brown haired boy. Sarah was about to call Felix again when she spotted him behind Alison's table sitting alone. Dodging the foot traffic, Sarah braved her way through the masses to her brother.

"Took you long enough." he greeted.

"It's a big place." Sarah replied, sitting down. "Do you have money for food?"

"Yeah but it's mine. Why'd you want to see me anyway? I have another tour with the cute guide to be on so make it quick."

Sarah shifted uncomfortably in her seat, not sure how to explain herself. "I met a girl today who looked just like me."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Finally found your biological family? Mrs. S'll be delighted."

"I'm serious, Fee." she said. "This girl was identical to me in every way. It was bizarre."

"Show me her then."

Sarah pointed over to where Alison was sitting. She was in clear sight, only four tables in front of where they were sitting.

Felix stood up to get a better look. "Holy shit," was his response. "It's you with a fringe and wearing an awful lot of pink."

"I know. And you know what's stranger?"

"What?"

"That wasn't even the girl I was talking about. There was another one who showed me to class. This is weird, Fee."

Her brother just smirked. "You've got sisters, that what this is. Orphan Sarah is actually a triplet."

Sarah gave an unsure look. "Alison, the one over there, said something 'bout me being 'another one' and that I made seven. And Beth, the one that showed me to class, said we weren't related."

Felix shrugged. "Doppelgangers? Clones? Versions of you from alternate timelines? There's got to be an explanation."

"Something like that…" Sarah said. "Hey, what do you think I can get to eat for three dollars?"

Felix shrugged. "Dunno. Look at the menu board or something. Now, if you'll excuse me I have a tour of the upstairs floors with Colin. See you later."

"Yeah, see ya." Sarah replied and watched her bother as he trekked his way across the giant mess hall. At least he's enjoying the new school, Sarah thought as she walked up to join the tuck shop line. She was browsing through the list of hot food when someone grabbed her from behind.

"Hey-"

Alarmed, Sarah struggled from the embrace and sharply turned around to see a boy her age with light brown hair and faded green eyes. "What's the idea!?" she exclaimed.

The boy looked extremely confused. He studied Sarah for a moment and then his eyes widened with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry." he said. "I thought you were someone else."

"Beth or Alison?" She asked bitterly.

"Beth." he said. "Though I should have known you weren't Beth. She'd never wear something like that. So, looks like you're the newest member of the 'Clone Club'."

"The what?"

The boy chucked. "It's what Beth and Alison and Cosima call themselves. You all look so similar Cosima reckons your clones. She's joking, of course. I think. It's hard to tell with her."

Sarah nodded like she knew what the boy was talking about. She was about to say something when the actual Beth came up to them.

"I see you've met Sarah." she said to the boy.

He smiled. "Yes, we've become close friends in the awkward thirty seconds after I mistook her for you."

Beth laughed a little. "You really think I'd wear that." she turned to Sarah. "Oh, um, no offence.

"None taken."

"Why didn't you meet me at the lockers like we arranged?"

"I, um, got lost." she lied.

"Well that won't happen after I show you around." Beth smiled. "Come with me." She turned to Paul, "Mind if I take your new friend away for a couple of minutes?"

"Be my guest." he said to Beth. "I'm Paul, by the way." he said to Sarah. "See you 'round."

"Nice to meet you," Sarah muttered and then followed Beth through the rows of tables. "He your boyfriend?" she asked as they reached the exit and headed down the now empty hallways.

"Yes," she smiled, "we've been together for almost a year now."

"He said something about a 'Clone Club'. Are we clones you and me and Alison?"

She laughed but there was a hint of uncertainty in her expression. "No. That's just what we call ourselves. Everything will be explained at lunch. Just don't get lost on me again, okay?"

"Alright."

"Now, this is the library." Beth said, coming to a stop. "We'll meet you in here in one of the study room towards the back. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Sarah wondered how much time the little gathering would take out of her lunch. She really wanted to buy something to eat after her first attempt had been foiled.

"Next I'll show you the hall." Beth continued. "It's straight ahead."

Sarah walked into the back study room of Pearson High School and was met with three identical faces looking at her; Beth, Alison and a girl she had not yet been introduced to but assumed was the one named Cosima.

"Hey, Sarah." Beth greeted, smiling.

"Hey," she replied, cautiously sitting down across from the three at the study table. She felt like she was on trial.

"This is Alison." Beth said gesturing to the girl she had seen earlier.

"Hello," Alison muttered dryly. She held herself differently to the way Beth did; she sat upright with her shoulders back. She was dressed differently, too. She wore a pink cardigan, blue jeans and a gold cross necklace.

"And this is Cosima."

"Hi," Cosima smiled. She too looked different to Beth despite the fact they shared the same appearance. Cosima had thick rimmed glasses and her hair was done in cornrows.

Sarah sighed at the strangeness of it all. "So what are you all here to tell me?"

"What do you want to know?" replied Cosima.

"Tell me… Tell me what you all are to me. Family?"

"Um, no." was her response. "To be honest we don't really know who we are to each other, just that we look alike. And that our fingerprints are all almost identical."

Sarah gave a bitter laugh. "Well, that was helpful. Thanks a lot." The she added; "Are there more of us?"

Alison answered that one. "Yes. Seven of us now that you're here."

"Who are the others?"

Beth thought about that for a brief moment, "Well, there's me, you, Alison, Cosima an in addition to us there's Rachel Dunncan- she's the evil twin if you ask me-, Katja who moved here from Germany last year and Helena. We don't talk to Helena much but she was in Ali's religious studies class in tenth grade."

Alison nodded. "She's weird. And I think she might be Russian."

"Why aren't the rest part of the 'Clone Club'?" Sarah asked.

"As stated before Rachel is evil. And Helena's a little psycho." said Cosima. "Katja seems nice, she's in my biology class, but she hangs with Rachel's posse because we didn't get to her in time."

Sarah took all this in. "Right, so there's seven girls in our grade who are identical and nobody's raised an eyebrow?"

Beth shrugged. "People just assume we're related."

"So," Alison began, "Sarah, are you in or are you out?"

"In or out of what?"

"The 'Clone Club'."

Sarah sighed. "I don't have to make a pledge or anything, do I?"

"We're not a cult." Alison said seriously.

"What does being in the club involve?" she asked.

"Sacrifices, summoning, chants at midnight… that sort of thing." Cosima laughed.

"We're not a cult!" Alison snapped.

Said Beth; "We're just a support group, really. This thing is weird and we help each other through it. I think we're more of a family than a club."

"That's really lame." said Sarah. "Alright. I'm in."

**So, this is my attempt at an 'Orphan Black' high school AU. Most chapters will be around two thousand words or higher and there will be roughly thirty chapters. Most of the main pairings will come into play later in the story. Chapters will be in the POV of Sarah, Beth, Cosima and Alison (I've been reading the 'A Song of Fire and Ice' series lately and I liked that setup so I decided to use it here). To give any constructive criticism and/or positive feedback please leave a comment. **

**Anyway, I hope the hiatus hasn't been too painful so far (not long now and we got a pormo picture so that'll keep me happy for a few days).**

**proclone**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Beth stood outside her house, patiently waiting for her ride to school. She shivered slightly in her tan coat as it was a chilly morning. An endless winter would arrive soon and Beth shuddered at the thought. She checked her watch to see that Alison was four minutes late. Alison was never late. Just as Beth was about to call to make sure her friend was okay a pink Lexis rolled slowly in front of her and came to cautious stop. Eager to get out of the cold, Beth hopped into the passenger seat.

"You're late," she said in mock seriousness, "and by four whole minutes."

Alison looked genuinely apologetic. "Sorry about that. My mother wants me to drive more safely."

Beth laughed. "You live two streets away and it took you how long to get here?"

"Ten minutes."

"At this rate we're going to be tardy." She smirked. "I might miss lacrosse tryouts. It starts after school so just try and get us there by three forty-five."

"Tryouts are today? I almost forgot. Good thing I keep the training stuff in my locker. We're meeting at three-fifteen besides the oval like usual, right?"

"Right."

"And don't worry," Alison reassured her as they started moving forward inch by inch. "I'll drive at a normal speed."

"Remember that we've got to pick up Sarah and Felix. You forgot to last Friday."

"Yeah, forgot to…" Alison said. Beth could almost see the painful flashbacks of Sarah putting her boots all over the back of the clean, white car seats flickering in Alison's eyes.

"Did you do the English homework?" asked Beth as they travelled through the suburbs at a slightly below average pace.

"I've told you; don't talk to me when I'm going at a speed above forty." She snapped, focusing hard on the empty road ahead. Beth reached to turn on the radio but Alison pulled over, shot her a disapproving look and then headed for Cosima's.

"To answer your previous question regarding the English homework," began Alison several minutes later as they waited outside Cosima's house, "I had a pretty hard time getting five hundred words about what happened over summer when all I did was hang with you."

"Are you saying you didn't have a good time loitering at the mall and watching _NCIS_?"

"No, I'm just saying it's hard to make eating frozen yogurts and marathoning cop shows sound interesting. What did you write about?"

Beth smiled. "The time we saw _Grease _at the community theatre and you cried."

"_Hopelessly Devoted to You_ is a really emotive song, okay?" She protested.

The back door opened and Cosima stepped in. "Hey, guys." She greeted. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's fine." Beth assured her giving Alison a knowing look. To deal with Cosima's constant lateness they had told her they arrived at ten past when really they came at twenty past. Cosima hadn't been late for the carpool in over a year.

"Are we picking up Sarah and Felix this time?" She asked, buckling her seatbelt.

Alison gave a heavy sigh as she started driving. "Yes, I won't forget them. This time."

"So how's the new girl you've been hanging out with?" Inquired Beth.

Cosima smiled brightly. "Delphine? She's pretty cool. We share the same science classes. Yesterday in chem-"

"Hey, chatterboxes," Alison barked. "I'm trying to drive here."

Cosima whispered, "So, yesterday in chemistry we-"

"I can still hear you!"

Cosima lowered her voice even more. "We-"

"DO YOU WANT THIS CAR TO CRASH!?" Alison yelled and with that they rode in silence until Sarah and Felix's.

The two were waiting for them when they arrived and jumped right in the car when it came to a reluctant stop.

"Hello all." said Felix as he squirmed into the middle seat and Alison turned off the engine.

"What ya do that for?" Sarah protested.

Alison took a deep breath in. "Okay, before we continue to school I would like to lay down a few car rules."

Sarah sighed. "Is this because I put my boots on the seat last week?"

Beth could see Alison flinch at the memory. "No, there have been other instances, for example Felix, two weeks ago upon your first time in this car you were eating a banana.

"It was my breakfast."

"Yes but we don't eat in this car. Or place our filthy shoes on the back of the spotless seats, understood?"

"Yeah." Felix agreed.

"Whatever." was Sarah's response.

"Also," added Alison, "we don't not talk to one another or to the diver while the car is in motion. And we do not attempt to distract the diver by playing music. Am I clear?"

"Yes." Cosima replied.

"Eye, eye, Captain." remarked Beth.

"Smartass." Alison muttered as she started the Lexis back up and drove at a cautious speed towards school.

* * *

Beth walked out of the locker rooms nervous yet collected. _Nothing's going to stop me from making the team this year_, she thought as she strolled along the hallway to the oval. _Nothing at all_. Her confidence, however, lessened at the sight of Rachel and her posse talking by their lockers in their PE uniforms. Rachel was holding a black lacrosse stick and chatting to Ainsley and Angela. Beth tried to avoid their gaze. Keeping her eyes to the newly polished floor she continued like nothing was wrong. She seemed to have made it out of sight when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Hello, Bethany." Rachel cooed. "Good luck out there. Let's hope it goes better than last year."

Ignoring her better judgement, Beth turned around and looked her identical straight in the eyes. "First of all, 'Beth' is short for 'Elizabeth'. Bethany is not my name. Second of all, I was injured last for last year's tryouts thanks to a trip to Newfoundland during the summer break that went horribly wrong. And third of all, not only am I going to make the team I am also going to be playing centre. So you better watch out, _Bitch_el."

Rachel just laughed. "What is that? My nickname amongst the 'Clone Cult'?

"I see you added a new addition to your little cult." Ansley added. "Some hoe from England."

"We are not a cult!" She exclaimed. "And by the way, _Ansley_, you might want to keep an eye on that 'boyfriend' of yours because I hear that he's been making out with Jenna Marlo, from gym class, during their Tuesday frees in the janitors closet."

Ansley gasped. "Well at least my Chad didn't get suspended for punching out the quarterback last year like someone's boyfriend. And besides those cheating allegations are false. Chad would never do such a thing."

Beth smirked. "You seem to be forgetting the events of last year's Valentine's Day Dance. Alison says 'hi', by the way." and with that she turned away. She really needed to take Rachel's position on the team. And to think of a better mean nickname for her than '_Bitch_el'.

She walked out onto the school field with monstrous butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. The morning breeze had not subsided and she was shaking like a leaf in her PE gear. The school field was huge, much like the rest of the school. It was big enough to host lacrosse, soccer and rugby tryouts at the same time with plenty of space to warm up. Alison was waiting for her besides the stands. She had a pink stop watch in one hand and a clipboard in the other. She acted as Beth's self-appointed lacrosse coach and was as anxious as she was for her to make the team. They had agreed to meet half an hour before tryouts to warm up as they did before games.

"How are you feeling?" Alison asked as Beth approached. "Have you developed any injuries or illness since we last spoke?"

"We last spoke in math class fifteen minutes ago."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"No," said Beth, "I have not broken any bones or developed the flu in the last fifteen minutes."

"Good. I don't want a repeat of last year." Alison said as she hung the stop watch around her neck, pulled out a pen from her pocket and scribbled this information down. "So would you say that you are currently at peak physical condition?"

Beth shrugged. "I guess."

"Okay then, give me a lap." she said, pushing a button on her stopwatch.

Beth moaned to which her friend yelled; "Time's ticking, Childs!"

"Fine!" And with that she began jogging around the outskirts of the field. She started out okay, she was keeping a good pace and breathing correctly but as the jog went on she started feel tired. Beth began puffing at about the halfway mark and by the time she reached the finishing point was sweating like a pig and coughing madly.

Alison examined her stopwatch. "Not bad, Childs. Now start stretching."

Beth began to do as her 'coach' asked when she caught sight of the rest of the club coming towards them. "Hey, guys." She smiled brightly. "Here to support me?"

"Well, mainly we're here because Alison is our ride." Cosima confessed.

Sarah added. "But that doesn't mean we're not going to support you."

"You know what not going to support you?" Alison asked, irritated by the interruption. "Your muscles if you don't warm them up."

"Okay, okay." Beth muttered as she bent down to touch her toes.

"Here comes Paul." said Felix, looking across the field. Beth turned around to see her boyfriend making his way towards them.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Hey." Beth smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to cheer you on."

"Join the cheer squad." said Alison, looking annoyed. "Come on you guys, in the stands."

The club shuffled to the stands, except for Paul who muttered "Good luck" before following.

Alison scowled. "It's almost time for tryouts."

"Don't worry about it, Ali." Beth reassured her. "I'll make the team."

She nodded. "I know you will. I'd wish luck but I guess I was beaten to it."

"I don't need luck with this much skill."

"Okay, just try _not_ to break a leg."

Beth smiled before walking briskly to the lacrosse field. A group of girls stood in a circle around the coach who was giving instructions. She hoped her lateness wouldn't impact on a spot on the team. Across from her Rachel gave her a smug look.

"Alright girls," the coach, a short black-haired woman announced, "We're going to start with some drills." From there on in Beth became so focused she could barely remember what the tryouts were like when Alison asked her about it as they made their way to her car an hour later.

"What do you mean you can't remember?" Alison asked, perplexed.

Beth shrugged. "I just became, like, a lacrosse machine. I think I did well. I remember running really fast."

"You did pretty well from what we saw." Sarah said."

"You don't know anything about lacrosse." Felix jeered.

"So when will you find out if you made the team?" Cosima questioned.

"Next week, hopefully."

"Why don't we celebrate your impending selection?" Paul said, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend. "Pizza, my treat."

"I have physics homework." Cosima replied.

"'Grey's Anatomy' is on tonight." Was Felix's retort.

"I…" Sarah hesitated. Beth knew that she still felt awkward around Paul after the incident on her first day but they shared a woodwork class and were at least on good terms. "I have a… thing. And since when do you watch 'Grey's Anatomy', Fee?"

"Since Colin likes it."

"Am I ever going to meet this Colin?"

Felix scoffed. "I wouldn't want him to be scared off this early on."

Alison said; "I suppose I need to take everyone home. But you two have fun." There was a hint of bitterness in her voice. Alison didn't seem to like Paul very much and Beth couldn't figure out why. To be fair, Beth didn't much like Alison's boyfriend, Donny, either.

"I guess it's just you and me." Paul smiled. "We'll get the bus."

"Sounds good." Beth smiled back.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Cosima

"Cosima," Sarah said from across the lunch table. "Oi, could you help me with this maths homework?"

Cosima sighed. "I'm going have to start charging at this stage. Don't you even listen in class?"

"Yeah, 'course…" she protested. "What's Pythagoras Thorium again?"

"Oh my God, that's eight grade stuff."

She shrugged. "I didn't attend most of eight grade."

"Well, the math help room is open today. You could get help there."

Sarah reluctantly shut her book and stuffed it in her bag. "Fine." she muttered.

"Where you going, Manning?" Paul asked.

"Maths help room. Might do you good to come too, your clock in woodwork was as crooked as you."

"Ouch." He said in mock offence. "But at least I actually did mine. How many marks have they taken off for tardiness at this stage?"

"Enough that I might as well not bother handing it in." she said as she turned to leave.

Cosima didn't mean to come across so harsh to Sarah but she was nervous about her next class. She looked down the cafeteria table to see if there was anyone open for a non-'help me with homework' related conversation. As usual, everyone was busy chatting amongst themselves. Beth and Paul were laughing about something at the head of the table. With the exception of Alison, Paul was the person Beth was closest to. She loved him, Cosima had noted, but she was never convinced he felt the same way.

Alison and Felix were chatting next to the giddy couple. The two had formed a close friendship as they were both in the drama club. Felix mainly hung with Sarah, he followed her around everywhere. Paul also followed Sarah around, she'd noticed. He'd be more willing to start up a conversation with her than Beth. It seemed bother Beth a little but Alison was happy about it; she seemed to get jealous when Paul and Beth were together.

Cosima had observed all this from an outsider's perspective. She had never really felt a part of the group. She had come to Pearson at the start of the tenth grade when her family had moved from San Fran Sysco to Toronto due to her parent's work. Cosima had never minded her outcast status in the group before; she always assumed it was because Alison and Beth had been friends since middle school and three was a crowd. But that fact that the last members of the club, Sarah and Felix, were fitting in so well made her like she wasn't wanted. Not by the 'Clone Club' at any rate.

The bell rang and Cosima's heart began to race.

"What class do you have?" Beth asked.

"Biology." She replied with a nervous smile. "You?"

"I have French."

"Cograts on making the team, by the way." She added.

Beth smiled. "Thanks, but Bichtel Duncan is a teammate now and she's bitter I took her position." They began to walk to class, trying to avoid the stampede of students who were doing the same.

"We really need to think of a better mean name for her."

They exited the mess hall and fought against the masses that clogged the hallways to class rooms. Beth reached her destination and they parted ways. Cosima braved the rest of the trip to her class alone. On the way she thought about what she was going to say, what jokes she would crack and stories she would tell.

She walked into class, late as usual. Delphine sat on a bench near the front and smiled when she spotted Cosima. No matter how many times she saw Delphine, Cosima would always be in awe of her beauty. Her hair was a dark gold colour and her eyes a deep green. She was tall, slender and as far as Cosima was concerned, the most beautiful girl she'd ever laid eyes on.

"Bonjour, Cosima." Delphine greeted as Cosima took a notebook from her bag and sat on the stool next to her.

"Hey." She replied casually, not wanting to show how enthused she was to see her lab partner. "Did you finish the homework?"

Delphine nodded. "It was too easy by far."

Cosima smiled. Delphine was as beautiful as she was intelligent and the only person in the class that challenged her academically. She wanted to say more but before she could Mr. Parker entered the nosy classroom looking hurried.

"Sorry I'm late," he announced as he took a seat at his desk. "But the photocopy room is quite the hotspot at this time of year. Now, I've marked your tests- Scott could you hand them out?" Scott walked forward to collect the test papers and began passing them around. "Now you all did better than in the last topic…"

Cosima peered eagerly at her grade; A minus. That was an okay result, she supposed. "What'd you get?" She asked her lab partner.

Delphine smiled. "An A. And you?"

"A minus." She sighed. "I'll beat you next time."

"Don't be so sure."

"…congratulations to Delphine who got top of the class. And to Cosima was a close second…"

"I was a close second." Cosima argued.

Delphine grinned smugly. "Yes but still second."

Mr. Parker said, "Okay, now that we've finished our work on Biotechnology we're going to do a fun little project." There was a collective groan which the teacher ignored. "To gain a better understanding of genetically inherited characteristics, practically personality traits, we're all going to train lab rats to respond to a certain stimulus assess nature verses nurture." He disappeared into the store room for a few seconds and returned with a metal trolley that held cages of white mice. "Come on then, pick a subject."

Students rushed towards the front of the classroom to choose a mouse but Cosima got there first, determined to find the healthiest animal she could. She returned to her desk with a medium sized mouse with pink eyes and a small nose.

"He is very cute." Delphine said putting a finger between the bars of the cage for him to sniff. "What should we name him?"

"We shouldn't name him anything. We'll get too attached."

Delphine paused for a second before saying; "I think we should call him Thucydides."

"No…" Cosima huffed, "he looks much more like a Darwin. Not that he should have a name at all. But if he did have one it should be Darwin."

"Okay, Darwin it is." Delphine smiled.

Cosima glanced at the experiment outline that had just been passed to her. "Okay, it says here we have to think of the stimulus we're going to teach the mouse to respond to, record his progress over the course of a week and compare his behaviour to that of the rest of the class's mice."

"What should we teach him to respond to?"

"A song? A name? A certain word?" Cosima suggested.

Delphine pondered this for a moment. Cosima couldn't help but admire the way her brow crinkled when she was deep in thought, the way she looked down and focused on the floor like it would tell her the answer…

"A word." She said finally. "Yes, that would be good. But what word?"

"What about a French word or-"

"Cosima," Katja called from the desk behind her. "Do you have a pen, that I could… borrow?"

She turned around, nodded, and retrieved a stray pencil from her bag.

"Thank you, very much."

Delphine looked between the two in awe as usual. She still hadn't gotten over the fact the two looked so alike. "It is the strangest thing." she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "You are identical to each other. And you both are to others in school. It is… bizarre. Are you sure there is no relation?"

Cosima gave a small smile. Everyone else seemed to accept it and moved on. Not Delphine. She was curious about things, wouldn't settle until she had all the answers. Cosima loved that about her. Cosima loved everything about her. "Yes." she told her as she had told everyone else. She wanted to tell Delphine everything she knew about the situation, but could she be trusted? Would she tell the whole school everything about her and her friends? There was something strange about the fact that in one high school seven students looked completely identical. What if this went deeper than she thought?

But one look at Delphine and her concerns were disregarded. She was so beautiful-at the particular moment the sun beaming through the window made her golden hair look as though it was made of sunlight- and she was so smart and kind and caring…

Cosima took a deep breath. "Well, no, I'm not entirely sure. We could be related or… something else could be going on. Last year I asked my parents about my birth, like, if I was adopted or something and my mom got all weird about it telling me it was 'crazy to even think such a thing'. Dad just got all quiet and it was really strange, my parents are normally cool about stuff but all of a sudden they became Alison's parents. Speaking of which, Alison got grounded for asking her mom if she was her biological mother. Took away her car and everything. I had to walk to school during that week. It was not fun."

Delphine's eyes danced with excitement. "And what of the other girls? Elizabeth and, um, Sarah was it?"

"Beth can't get a straight answer out of her Dad. And, here's the wired part, Sarah just so happens to be an orphan. She has no idea who her biological parents are. Then there's Helena and Rachel and who knows how many other girls."

"Really?" Delphine asked, eyes wide. "So, do you think you are all sisters separated at birth? Or…"

"I think," Cosima smiled a little. Finally she could bounce her previously deemed 'crazy' theories off another curious mind. "I think we could be, don't laugh, like actually clones or something. We all joke about it but I mean, it all just seems too wired that we all look alike and just so happen to all be here at the same school. We could be some sort of experiment or something." She blushed when she realised how stupid her theories sounded aloud. "It's dumb, I know, but things like this don't happen without a reason."

"I think that you are right." Delphine replied, wonder on her face. "However, human cloning is impossible and illegal. How could someone of done this? Why could someone of done this?"

"I don't know.' sighed Cosima. It was questions like that which kept her up at night; the questions she didn't have the answers for. Not even speculated answers. "I really have no idea."

Delphine's smile grew wider and Cosima felt her heart melt just a little more. "We could try to figure it out, yes? Be detectives, except the microscopes are the magnifying glasses and the trench coats are the lab coats."

"You mean we investigate the science of this? See if me and the other girls are genetically identical?"

"Oui."

Cosima couldn't help but smile. She loved when Delphine spoke French. Or did anything. "Sounds great. We could use the lab on Thursday lunch. Science Club normally takes place then and I know a guy who can get us in. Are you free next Thursday?"

"Next Thursday I am trying out for the school musical but the week after next I will be happy to meet you at lunch."

"Where are the tryouts? I'd like to be there, you know, for moral support."

"In the hall." she said. "Now, we have been chatting for far too long. I have to ask the teacher about the next exam. Excuses me."

As Delphine made her way up to the teacher's desk Cosima looked at the little white mouse in the cage on her desk. "Looks like you're not the only science project we're going to be working on, Darwin." she said. "I mean, little mouse. I can't call you Darwin, I might get too attached. It'll just end badly if I get too attached."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Alison

The tiny music room in downstairs F Block was Alison's favourite place in the school. It was one of three music rooms the school had and it was in the worst condition by far. The walls were yellowing with age and the carpet was thinning but the old room still had a lot of heart. The grand piano in the corner still played smoothly, the guitars that sat propped against the wall were always in tune and the posters that hung in various locations made Alison feel at home. The posters were of famous composers and ballerinas and Broadway shows. They reminded her of her Grandma. The room was usually empty; everyone preferred the new rooms upstairs. One had a mini recording studio and the other a full set of drums and electric guitars. Occasionally there would be a music class taking place in the old room or a keen student like herself rehearsing. Today, however, Alison had the room to herself. Grateful for the solitude she laid her book bag by the open door and sat on the cosy piano stool.

Alison had been fortunate enough to have a free before try-outs. Usually she'd spend free periods in the library studying. The library was Cosima's favourite place in the school, not hers. It was always full of reckless kids chatting, epically in winter when they came in for the lovely heating. Alison didn't like having too many people around and in the old music room in downstairs F block she could be all alone. She hit a note on the piano and matched it with her voice. She continued up the scale until the notes were too high and out of her range. Once warmed up she started to sing;

"_Without me_

_His world would go on turning_

_A world that's full of happiness_

_That I have never known"_

_She sighed. She always seemed to get stuck on the last part._

_"That I have never known_"

The last note was difficult for her. It wouldn't be out of her range if she could just get her breathing right.

"Known" she echoed. She almost had it.

Alison turned to the clock at the front of the room when she noticed someone was watching her. "Felix!" she exclaimed, irritated. "How long have you been there?"

"Not long." the dark haired boy smirked.

"Well could you leave? I'm in the middle of something."

"I could help you." He offered.

Alison rubbed her temples. "I don't need help. And shouldn't you be in class? Tenth graders don't have frees."

Felix just smiled. "I can play accompaniment. From what I've heard you're pretty rubbish and I happen to be somewhat of a piano protégée."

"Really?" Alison asked, suspicious.

"Oh yes, I took lessons for six years and was in the school band… 'till I was kicked out."

"Okay then." she said, standing up to give Felix the stool. She stood by his side as he examined the sheet music and began to play.

"_And now I'm all alone again nowhere to turn, no one to go to_

_Without a home without a friend, without a face to say_-"

The music stopped. "You're singing a tad too high." Felix said. "Just take it down an octave."

Alison frowned. "But that's how Eponine sings it in the musical."

"That doesn't mean it's how Alison should sing it for the try-outs."

"Alright." she took a deep breath in.

"_And now I'm all alone again nowhere to turn, no one to go to_

_Without a home without a friend, without a face to say hello to_"

"Better." Felix nodded as his hands moved swiftly across the ivory keys.

"_And now the night is near_

_Now I can make believe he's here_"

They ran through the song three times before Alison decided she was ready. She wasn't going to sing the whole song for audition, of course, but she figured the rehearsal would prepare her for when she'd actually preform the song on stage as Eponine. Alison was fairly confident she'd get the role. She'd been in the school musical every year since ninth grade, last year she'd even got a speaking role as Mary Sunshine the school's production of 'Chicago'. Alison wanted a main roll more than anyone else and, as far as she was concerned, deserved it more than anyone else.

"Are you trying out for a part?" She asked Felix as he played random notes on the piano.

"'Course I am." He said. "I'm somewhat of a triple threat."

"What park are you trying out for?"

He shrugged, fingers still dancing along the keys. "Whatever they give me, I guess. I'm not picky."

"What song are you going to audition with?" Alison asked.

He shrugged again. "Dunno. I'll think of something."

"Tryouts are in two minutes."

"Then we should probably get going, yeah?" He said, standing up and putting his bag over his shoulder. "The early bird gets the worm or something, right?"

"Right." Alison nodded. She turned to leave the room but stopped and turned to her friend. "Thanks for helping me practice."

Felix smiled. "You are very welcome. And it was better than Trig by any rate."

The two walked toward the performance hall. It was quite most of the way with the majority of students still in class until the bell for lunch rung and kids started to shuffle out of their lesson. When Alison and Felix reached the hall it was empty. They took their seats in the centre as other students began to file in. Cosima was among the. She smiled brightly when she saw Alison and Felix and made her way over to them.

"Here to support me?" Alison asked smugly whilst Cosima dropped her cumbersome bags and took a seat next to Felix.

"Yeah, sure." she replied, distracted. "Hey, have you guys seen Delphine?"

"No. Is she coming to support me as well?"

Cosima looked around anxiously. "Actually, she's trying out for a role. There she is!" she began to wave enthusiastically at the blonde haired girl who was making her way into the performance space. "Hey, Delphine! Over Here!"

She waved back and walked over to meet the trio. "Hello everyone." the girl said with a French accent. "I am Delphine. I do not think we have met. What are your names?"

Felix introduced himself first. "Felix." he greeted, shaking Delphine's hand. She turned to greet Alison who saw the boy mouth "wow" to Cosima who beamed in response.

"I'm Alison." Alison forced a smile.

"Nice to meet you. Cosima tells me we are in completion for the role of Eponine."

Alison gritted her teeth. "Yeah, well they normally don't give lead roles to people who have never been in the school musical before and I've been in the musical every year since I started here so I don't think there's much competition."

"We shall see." She said, taking a seat next to Cosima.

Miss Stanley stood on stage and hushed everyone. "Hi everyone." she said. Miss Stanley was young, in her mid-twenties, and short with dark skin and twinkling eyes. She still had the fresh-faced enthusiasm most teachers lost over the first couple of weeks of dealing with defiant teens and Alison hoped she never would. "Thank you for coming to the try-outs for this year's musical which, as many of you know, will be Les Miserables she went on out about the usual pep talk which Alison ad heard a hundred times.

"What did I miss?" Beth whispered, slipping beside Alison.

"I thought you weren't coming." Alison hissed. "Weren't you supposed to finish off your PD assignment?"

"I decided this is more important."

Miss Stanley went on to start the try-outs which were in alphabetical order of last names. Arthur Bell was up first. Beth smiled when she saw him and waved. He was a large boy, with a black hair and chunky glasses. He and Beth knew each other from their legal studies class. He sung a few verses of a rock ballad which showed off his deep voice. Next was Katie Brown with 'A Whole New World'. She was pitchy yet had a great stage presence. Next was Delphine.

"State the song you're going to sing, please."

Delphine flashed a nervous smile. "I will be singing 'On My Own'."

Alison felt her chest tighten.

Miss Stanley said from her desk at the front of the hall; "Oh, we're not doing the whole accent thing for this production. Just speak normally."

Delphine turned pink. "This is… this is how I speak."

"Oh, right then." The teacher said, embarrassment in her voice. "Go… Go ahead then."

"And now I'm all alone again nowhere to turn, no one to go to

Without a home without a friend, without a face to say hello to" she sung. Her voice was soft and clear. She hit every high note perfectly. Alison felt shattered. Delphine sung like an angel and there was no way Alison could compete with that. Twelve years of signing lessons and she sounded alright. There was only so much someone could learn. The rest came down to talent. And Alison, much to her mother's disappointment, did not have talent. She could dance with the correct form and carry a tune but she had always felt she had not actual talent.

When Delphine finished everyone applauded. Miss Stanley even said "Very nice, Delphine". She was beaming when she sat back down next to Cosima.

"How did I do?" she asked.

Cosima looked completely love-struck. "You did… you were… wow."

"Are you alright?" Beth muttered.

Alison shrugged. "I'm just nervous."

Beth squeezed her hand. "You'll knock her out of the park. Don't worry about it."

Felix was next. He sung a slow, jazzy song Alison was not familiar with. His voice was chamming, much like he himself. "Why didn't Sarah come to watch you?" Beth asked once he was done. "Doesn't she know about this?"

"Yes and I would like to keep it that way."

"Why? You were amazing."

Felix just laughed. "I'm Sarah's brother. She'll find something wrong with my little performance and tease me about it for months. Besides, she and Paul are working on some geography project. Wouldn't want to get in the way of that."

Beth smiled. "Guess she's gotten over the incident on the first day."

"You bet she has." Felix said. There was a hint of mischief in his voice but Beth didn't seem to notice.

More and more students auditioned. Some were good and some were not. Most were pretty mediocre. It was Alison's turn five minutes before lunch was over. Her name was called and she took a deep breath in.

"Break a leg." smiled Beth as she made her way to the stage. She was debating whether or not to change her song choice. However, Delphine obviously want the same part she did and the only way Alison saw fit to fight fire was with fire.

She stood up tall on the stage facing all the students sitting in seats in front of her. Some were eating their lunch, others chatting to friends in a hushed tone and some were staring blankly at her. But there was only one person in the room full of tens of people Alison was looking at. She was smiling at her reassuringly and giving her the thumbs up. She was what was going to Alison the leverage over Delphine. The girl had spent most of her auditioning smiling sweetly. It didn't match the song. 'On My Own' was about the pain of the one person you loved more than anything not love you back. Not even notice the love you felt for them. Eponine had sung the song while walking alone in the streets with a heavy heart and tears in her eyes. She certainly wasn't smiling. Alison knew the character's pain all too well. As she looked at the face of the person who would never, could never, love her back she began to sing.


End file.
